A hundred different ways to cause hysteria

Slacking off at work today.  I am going to get motivated in just a minute or so.  After I write this.

Rented John Dies at the End last night.  Not impressed.  Parts of it were okay.  I prefer the books hardcore over the movie.  Ry wasn't disappointed but Dave and I were. They just tried to fit too much into one movie, they should have split the book up and either made the book based on the first half of the book or the second half of the book.  Instead they mashed thing up and forced things together and basically (as Dave said) made a Sci-fi original of the whole thing.  Disappointing.  It had tons of potential and it was the first movie in a long time I was willing to risk getting a babysitter past bedtime for to go out and see.  I guess I'm glad Amazon let me rent it instead (and that it isn't playing anywhere around here).

Before glazing, after throwing and paining

After glazing. 

In use with Bleu Peacock Oolong Tea. 

I'm sitting here at work drinking oolong tea from my new mug.  That I made.  From clay.  With my hands.  Which is awesome.  All sorts of awesome.

Planning for the trip to California.  Something to look forward to for sure.

I want to go back to the pottery place.  It was very therapeutic   Relaxing and creative.  Sometimes it's hard to feel like your own person, you know? Maybe.

Still running, if you were curious.  I'm down some amount of pounds.  Why is the abbreviation for pounds lb?  I'm sure it's Latin, which means I should know.  But I don't.  I could look it up. But I'm not going to.  I'm going to go to work now.

Well, I thought about the army, dad said son, you're f*cking high

There was a time when I was going to join the army.  Honestly.  Bet you didn't know that.  Or, perhaps you did.  It's kind of ironic (coincidental?  I always get those two wrong, me and Alanis Morriset) because I was going to train in the army to be a water treatment officer or something like that, it's been 13 years don't hold me to remembering the exact terms, and now I am working in local government in the water business some time later.  I guess it's full circle.  It makes me think that perhaps this is always what I was supposed to be doing.  If you believe in that kind of thing.  Which I don't, but sometimes this kind of thing makes me wonder.

I took today off of work even though I can't really afford the time right now.  I just needed a day.  Asher has been super bad lately, I don't know what is wrong with him.  Every. Single. Little. Thing. Is. A. Battle.  I put periods behind each word just to emphasize how much I am stressing each work.  Everything out of my mouth is a challenge for him to fight.  Asher, put your shoes on.  NO! Followed by a tantrum.  Asher, do you what do you want to eat for dinner?  "Pez and cookies."  You can have those for dessert.  NO!  NOT DESSERT!  NOW!  GO AWAY MAMA!.  you get the idea, right?  Rosie cannot get him to nap.  She does things that are counter productive when I'm trying to discipline him, like offer to give him what he wants.  (Who's in charge of whom, eh?)  It got so bad yesterday that he bit me in front of Rosie and Richard and Katya.  It was partially Rosie's fault and Katya's fault, katya's for being bad and Rosie for giving in to Asher when he wanted to be the same kind of bad.  He bit me hard, too.  I have never wanted to shake my son as much as I did yesterday.  Instead, we went to time out in the middle of the driveway with me holding him down until he calmed down and the whole crew just watching in embarrassment.  It was super awesome.

Work is also really stressful right now, trying to get all of my work done, wordsmith some grant applications by June 1st, get the WCP going and ready to roll without me, train new people, learn my new job, research some property stuff, continue to monitor the watershed and get the WMP finalized before I leave.  All in just about 8 weeks, give or take.  So, no stress, right?

Yeah, I think I deserve it, I am taking a "me" day.

Originally I wanted to use a groupon I had bought a while back for a Mani-Pedi but I waited too long to schedule it and they were booked.  So then I wanted to go see Dark Shadows since it came out today but...the first time it plays is during my Dr.s appt and so I can't go see it, either.  I don't want to just stay at home, I will totally just do housework all day and not relax.  I don't know what to do....  This is turning into a wasted day.  I did get a nice long blog typed up.  And I read the news.  And did my social media stuff.  Do I want to go shopping?  Not really....I always get depressed shopping alone.  Or just shopping.  And I don't really need anything.

Anyone want to go see dark shadows with me?  Ever since I heard about it on This American Life I have kinda wanted to see it.  Also, has anyone read 50 Shades of Gray?  I heard it's supposed to be good but I don't know if it's the kind of book I'd like, and there are about 1000 people on the library waiting list and I don't want to buy it unless it's really good.

By the way, Ben Folds Five is back together and putting an album out using Kickstarter.  You should check it out, you can download a free song there, too.  I haven't pledged yet because I don't have an account, perhaps I will later...

Oh, and I got a bunch of emails from Jason's old site I used to write for, www.unsoughtinput.com.  I used to write as Alouette on there, check me out.  Here's some of my old favorites of mine: Career Advice: Do Not Listen to Crazy People, An article about water before I even worked in the water biz (has it always been about water with me?  Geez...) and an article about nerd parents.  You know, as I go back through this stuff, I can't believe how much I wrote.  I'm impressing myself.  Anyway, I should probably let you get on with your day, this might be my longest blog on here ever.

Hello, it's me. I've thought about us for a long, long time

So much going on this time.  Had a pretty awesome time at the Akron Public Schools Science Fair this weekend.  Had a pretty popular booth.  Wanna see it?  Here you go:

Ryan and Asher stopped by about halfway through and helped me out, and also browsed the science fair.  I was a little reluctant to go but I'm glad I did.  Everyone seemed really interested in water and what we do here, and that makes me pretty happy. 

We also went and saw this really awesome presentation that some 8th grade students from Akron did on water, they had come here to do their research.  It was so good!  It's a good feeling to know that you know that what you do is important and that people, especially young people, care enough about it to find out. 

Sunday was much more relaxed.  Tried webcamming with the CA folks but that didn't go too great, neither of our children seemed interested in talking so it was short and sweet, but nice to talk to them nonetheless. 

Ry and I are still at an impasse on names for this baby.  It's so hard to name a person!

I've been feeling a little down about my relationship with my family lately.  I feel that my mother's constant negativity and just general 'debbie downerism' is really starting to get to me.  Why do I feel that I need my mother's approval still?  I don't know, it's beyond me why I care.  But I do.  Anyway, it's nothing major, just something that's been on my mind lately. 

Leaving for CA in less than three weeks.  The countdown is on!  I'm really looking forward to it.  It'll be nice to go and chill with the Morrisons for a bit, it's so hard to do that when they are here because they have so much family stuff going on for them. 

As for new years resolutions, taking asher to the park for January...check.  I didn't teach him anything about nature, per se, but we did go sledding so that was pretty awesome.  And naturetastic, right?  I think it counts. 

Anyway, this post has been kinda rambly.  I should probably wrap it up.